Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1887-06-05
HOME FOR THE GODS.
TIE xusRK ourMEr AT THE FREScH
CAPITAL.
A Wonderful Collection OF Hindoo, CHI
pese. and Japanese Curiosities.

pese, and japanese Curiositles'
A Paris letter to the New York Mail
and Erprcss says: Those who cross
the Place de Jena each day see an I'M
mense building of very bizarre archi-
lecture slowly rising in the north angle
of the square. This construction is
the future museum of all religions,
otherwise known as the Musee Gui-
met. NJ. Guimet, q rich Frenehman,
has given to the State bis wonder
ful collection of Hindoo. Chinese,
and japanese curiosliies: with tho
understanding that the building in
which they are placed shall be called
the Musee Guimet. And more than
this. the donor consents to pay half the
sum necessary for the construction OF
palace in which to lodge his treasures.
Already NJ. Guimet has spent 500, 900,
and the Government has furnished the
same amount. In the first story are to
he placed the Japanese and Chinese
ceramics in the second, japanese and
Chimes. religions in the third, en-
blems of Greek, Roman, and Hlndoo
religions. was curious to see all these
wonderful bibelots, and for that pur-
pose paid visit to their cOnservateur,
No. 80 Avenue du Trocadero. No
thing can be more puzzling than
the view of these emblems OF past
civilization scattered about modern
house. The ceilings are very low, and
these monstrous idols seem crushed by
some unseen force; the walls are CO.
vered with kakemonos, Japanese tapes
tries, and one of them represents the
japanese Hades. Specimens OF the
most ancient Chinese pottery are seen
in every stage of fabrication; vitrines
are filled with japanese ceramics, old
Satsuma ware, Nienzei pottery, &c,
&c. Hindoo divinities, a superb Vishnu
sleeping on the serpent Cessna and
floating on the ocean a sedan chair
that belonged to Japanese princess
and still bears her arms. In cor
ner are five mannikins representing
a japanese scene. by order OF the
Emperor two japanese fight duel.
They rush one against the other brand
ishingtheirlances, while the sovereign's
representative, the gohe, watches over
The combat. Behind each adversary is
his second, who follows the struggle
with an interest not always seen on the
faces of the seconds in European coun-
tries. But l shall not make cata-
logue. In a few months the Musee
Guimet will have been finished, and all
these wonders will be classified for the
benefit OF tourists. Study Baedeker,
Contz, and other guides, but you
will find no description of another
museum the equal OF the one
which / shall tell you about. The
Musee de Lutece, which has nothing of
an official character, and yet contains
the richest collection of Partisan an
tiquities, is situated outside the forti-
fications at No. l6 Rue de Montrouge.
NJ. Eugene Toulouze, the proprietor,
who has a great reputation among
psychologists, is about forty years Old,
very simple in manner, but also very
sympathetic. For the past twenty
years NJ. Toulouze has occupied his
leisure hours in archaeological re-
search, always at his own expense.
Paris is to him like an open book-on
the surface, beneath the surface. 1t
would require volume to de-
scribe and an enormous catl-
logue simply to name the various
objects. There is a Roman ampula.
When one of NJ. Toulouze's work
men struck it with pickaxe he found it
was full of pieces of money stamped
with the heads of Valerianus, Gallie-
nus, and Marius. The ancients placed
on their collins many utensils, and the
Gauis always put a glass beside the
head of the dead. In this museum is
one of these glasses found beside the
skeleton of a woman in the Avenue DIES
Gobelins. Then there are toys of the
time of Sainte Genevieve, 1000 years
old, but the most wonderful object is
case of surgical instruments that were
made in the third century. This was
found in tomb on the border of the
old Roman road between Lutece Paris
and Genabum Orleans probably this
tomb was in the surgeons house, for in
those days houses were built over
graves. For this case Baron Rothschild
offered s., 900, but NJ Toulodze refused,
because his museum would thus lose
one of its greatest treasures.
For ten years workmen have been
employed upon the structure bounded
by the Avenue du Trocadero and the
kucs de Freycinet, Goethe, Pierre
Charron, and Chaillot. The Musee
Galliera would have been finished long
ago had not its donor expressed a wish
that not more than $50, 900 should be
spent upon it each year. When finished
this museum will have cost $500, 00),
and will contain all the treasures lett
by the Due de Galliera, a Genoese no.
bic, who made Paris his home.
The Trocadero Museum has Just
been enriched 10y new ethnographical
collection, brought from New Guinea
by NJ. Laglaize, and given to the State
by Prince Roland Bonaparte. For
long time Prince Roland has occupied
himself with geographical questions,
and the interest inspired by these
studies was so Prea. that little by little
be gave himself up to them. Already
the Prince las written volume on the
Laplanders To gather material for
this book Prince Roland placed him
self at the head of scientific expedi-
ton. and thoroughly investigated
Lapland Lately the exploration
of New Guinea has Interested
him more, and he gave large
sum of money to NJ. Lag!aize, who
has brought him rare collection found
between Darei and the islands of Ur-
Vile. All these objects are temporari-
ly placed in the Ethiopian room of the
Trecadero Museum, and arrangements
are being made for their exhibition in
the entrance hall of the museum.
There are hideous masks, funereal statu-
cites, birds, and fish designed for the
prows of boats, the roofs of cabins,
primitive costumes, nose ornaments,
collars, bracelets, tools, such as wooden
spoons and spatula, stone hatchets,
polished in an extraordinary manner,
arms, and armor, etc.
The musical instruments are little
wooden tambourines covered with
skins of serpents, and bass-drums
made of trunks of trees; on each side
these gave different notes. Altogether,
of the kind, this collection is the most
l. 4 =, Il